Helene Belony from Haiti

I knew I wanted to become a doctor when I was eight years old.

“I come from a poor farmer’s family with four children that lived in the Central Plateau in Haiti. My father passed away when I was three. I know that he was ill, but I will never know which illness he had. When I was eight, my mother’s leg had to be amputated. At that moment, I knew I wanted to become a doctor…

My mother had to work hard to be able to feed all four of us every day. She worked very hard in the fields, despite only having one leg. She is also very religious and it was important to her that we went to the Christian Youth Movement and religious activities.

Luckier than my brothers and sisters

My older brother Tanio was never able to go school, because my mother could not afford it. However Bernard, my younger brother, did go to school, but he only went until the first grade of secondary school. Marie-Ange, my little sister, finished secondary school, but was not able to continue her education due to the expensive school costs.

Made my dream come true

I was a lot luckier than my brothers and sisters. My aunt worked with Jan Hoet in the presbytery. I lived with them when I went to primary school. I became a Cunina godparent through Father Jan. Thanks to the Cunina child sponsorship, I was able to go to a boarding school in Port-au-Prince where I started secondary school. When I finished secondary education, Father Jan had established Mamosa, a student home. I lived there when I studied medicine at university. Sure enough, I was able to make my dream come true and studied medicine. I had to do the best I could. I owed it to my mother.

A Cunina child sponsorship truly makes a difference

The Cunina child sponsorship really surprised me as a child. Someone, that has never met me, sent money so that I could go to school. A Cunina child sponsorship truly makes a difference in the life of a child. Education helps fight banditry, drug problems, teenage pregnancies and the spread of HIV and AIDS. If you are able to develop yourself, you are able to make something of your life.  

Thank you, Father Jan!

The tireless effort of Father Jan also plays an important role in the success of the Cunina child sponsorships. It is his life’s work to help young people get started. He has the right approach to stimulate, but also supervise them. And that is necessary sometimes…”

Helene Belony